Old Mirish Paganism
Since the advent of Suulian Orthodoxy and the more recent Cyclicism, the older Mirish faiths have been repressed or driven out. Many still give a cautious nod to the old gods even though they might officially be Suulian or Cyclicist. The following is an excerpt from a treatise on the old religions by Kain Vadud II. Beginning Of The Gods The Old Religion of the People of Elbereth, is a collection a divine animals. These divine animals were crafted from the blood of a greater older god, who supposedly left this dimension after his creation. The divine animals- based on the creatures found in Elbereth- found themselves missing their divine father and life-giver. They sired the Various animals that populate Elbereth at this time. The Sire’s watched their charges grow and for a time they were happy. But the essences of the world were not. Those chaotic Elements- Fire, Earth, Water and Air- despised the creatures which wandered on their faces and drank and ate their essences to grow. They grew mad and vengeful and made children of their own, the Elemental Titans. These beings battled with the Animal-sires in a long and dark war. Many tales of bravery and of cruelty are told of the Animal-sires. Finally the world was ravaged by the war and the Animal-sires thought to remedy this with a treaty. Every creature that the sire had fathered would eventually die and give back to the Elementals and the Elementals would give to the creature until that time. Thus creating an endless cycle of death and rebirth. List Of Gods *Fenrir: The thief, a coyote, once a creature with pure white fur. Maker of Humanity and tamer of fire and earth. *Jorgumund: The warrior, a serpent, creator and fighter of the Nightmare child. *Rekhyt: The explorer, a lapwing, the person who taught the people to sail. Tamer of the waters and of the Air. There are many more gods but most of them do not share the distinction that these do. Creation Of Man But Fenrir still missed his father, being the first born of the gods. He decided to create a creature in his father’s image but he realized that it would take the power of the other Animal-sires- who were far too busy or didn’t like the idea- to do. So the clever coyote decided to invite the other gods to a great feast and then while they slept from the drugged mead, Fenrir stole a drop of blood from each creature. He went to a great hillock and mixed the blood. Thus was created man, a destroyer as well as a creator. The other gods awoke and looked at this new beast and decided to let it and it’s wife live. They fed it, clothed it and taught it to live. But the Elements did not like this new beast. They found it even more repulsive then the Animal-sires. They made its life miserable. Fire didn’t warm it, Water turned bitter and dried up, earth made many plants poisonous, and air buffeted it and threw it about. Eventually winter came. The Taming of the Elements for man. Fenrir and Rekhyt saw man suffering and decided to help it. Fenrir, in a fit of daring ran to the mountain of the fire elementals and carried back a flaming log in his mouth. But the log burnt his fur and turned it black as ash. Upon giving the firebrand to man he saw that man was starving. Coyote taught man which foods were edible and which foods would kill him, then he taught man how to farm by inventing a plow and hooking it to himself and pulling it through the fields. They old worshippers thank Fenrir for his sacrifices and his teachings by making a small clay effigy of Fenrir and burning a piece of wood in his mouth and baking small cakes and putting it near Fenrir’s effigy. Usually the youngest able person in the family does this. The day is called Fenris and small cakes are given to family and friends as gifts. Rekhyt taught man how to tame Water by putting it over fire to purify it and to make it drinkable and wholesome. He showed man how to build houses from thatch and wood. Thus man lived happily farming, growing and building. The old worshippers thank Rekhyt by building a small straw nest and putting a clay effigy of Rekhyt in it and then pouring purified water from a clean stream over it. Category:Religions